


from sparks into fireworks

by DoctorFitzy (KittooningMalijah)



Series: Of Holidays [1]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Alternate Universe - No SHIELD (Marvel), Alternate Universe - Office, Christmas, Christmas Party, Co-workers, Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Gen, Inspired by Hallmark Christmas Movies, Leo Fitz is Holden Radcliffe's Son, Rivals to Lovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:49:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,836
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28317036
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KittooningMalijah/pseuds/DoctorFitzy
Summary: Between an ever changing project timeline and trying to compete for the big office promotion, Leopold Fitz doesn't have time to adapt to working with a new partner right before the holidays. And that doesn't include everything else going on in his life - his ex-wife is engaged, he's missing time with his daughter, and his boss is out to get him.Ophelia is sick and tired of the boss's son having everything handed to him, and she's sure the big promotion isn't going to be any different. But that doesn't mean she isn't going to fight for it, even if she's been suddenly assigned to his project and has to deal with his foul mood for a week before Christmas.OR, I accidentally fell into the work-oriented-woman and dad-trying-his-best Hallmark tropes
Relationships: (past) Leo Fitz/Jemma Simmons, Bobbi Morse & Ophelia Sarkissian, Kara Lynn Palamas/Grant Ward, Leo Fitz & Grant Ward, Leo Fitz & Jemma Simmons, Leo Fitz/Ophelia Sarkissian, Skye | Daisy Johnson & Ophelia Sarkissian, Will Daniels/Jemma Simmons
Series: Of Holidays [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2147436
Comments: 6
Kudos: 6
Collections: AoS Topsy-Turvy Hallmark Holidays





	from sparks into fireworks

**Author's Note:**

> "Alex, this is almost 15k words"  
> yeah, I know. on Monday the file had less than 2k and I was genuinely afraid I wouldn't finish it in time, but here we are! it's a Christmas miracle!
> 
> Enjoy this monster of a one-shot, feat. divorced-but-on-good-terms Fitzsimmons, some of the most subtle Dadcliffe I've ever written, and my undying urge to just risk it all for Alya.

Leopold scrolled through a few notifications on his phone, making sure his plans for the night were confirmed before he tucked the device back into his pocket. If this meeting went well, the biggest promotion available was all but his, and then the rest of the year would fall into place, and he wouldn't have to worry about a thing for the holidays. Getting to his feet, he looked over at Grant Ward, his partner far more caught up in the text messages on his own screen than the meeting that could change their lives.

"Are you ready to go, or does Kara need another few minutes of your time?"

Grant looked up from his phone with a smile, shaking his head while he got up quickly. "No, sorry. I just, she could go into labor any day, now, you know? I can't believe I'm gonna be a dad."

"None of us can." He'd meant to mumble the words, but while they started to walk out of the community office space and toward the stairs, some part of the universe decided the sentence should be just loud enough to be heard. Which would have been fine, if he'd been saying it to  _ anyone _ else.

"What?"

"Nothing. Come on, we don't want to be late." Leopold flashed him a smile before taking the steps two at a time, hoping that the comment could be brushed off and ignored. It wasn't that his friend wasn't perfectly capable of taking care of a child, he'd been the standby babysitter whenever date night happened, back in the old days, but something about Grant had never quite screamed  _ father.  _ Maybe that would change when he actually had a child of his own.

There was a moment of hesitation before they could enter the conference room, an anxious glance to a phone screen, a deep breath, and then-

The door opened and Leopold straightened his shoulders automatically when a familiar face appeared in their line of vision. He knew what people assumed about his position, that they speculated how much of his childhood influenced his rise within the company. Only, it was easy to make assumptions and gossip about his stepfather being his boss when they didn't know the whole story.

"Good morning, Alistair." He tried to put a smile on his face, something that would at least appear genuine. Not that the man in front of him had ever been able to tell the difference, when it came to that kind of thing.

"Are you ready to go, or should we delay the meeting further so that Mr. Ward can finish checking his text messages?"

Grant lifted his head quickly, putting his phone away so that he could straighten up. Unlike most of the other people in the office, he  _ did  _ know the whole story, and staying on Alistair Fitz's good side was as important to him as it was to his best friend. "We're ready to go. It's not urgent, I'm sure, just some... Higgs boson...?"

"Braxton Hicks contractions," Leopold corrected him gently, shaking his head. "Kara went into a false labor, yesterday, but she'll be fine. Jemma went through the same thing. We can do the pitch and check in with mum and fetus on our lunch. Right, Grant?"

His friend was obviously resisting the urge to reach for his pocket again, nodding his head. "Right. Let's go in. Everything will be fine for an hour."

Everything was not fine.

It took all of fifteen minutes for things to completely fall apart. In that time, there was an emergency phone call, hurried footsteps, a hasty apology, and an awkward silence that filled the space where his partner had been standing. After that, he was pulled into the hallway, quite literally, and stood face to face with the very last person he ever wanted to have a one-on-one conversation with.

"As of right now, it seems as though Grant Ward is on paternity leave. We'll have to find you another partner for this project."

"Alistair, I can do it on my own, it's not-"

He was cut off before he could finish the sentence, his shoulders slouching while he frowned and set his jaw. It would be better for everyone involved if he didn't interrupt his stepfather with even so much as a sigh. "Leopold, you're getting a new partner, and that's final. If you can't play nice, I can give the entire project to someone else who can."

Leopold felt the rest of the fight leave him, biting his lip instead of speaking up right away. If the man who held the key to his livelihood didn't hate him for something he couldn't control, he wouldn't have hesitated at all, but a promotion was on the line. Unfortunately, he had to prove beyond a doubt that he deserved it, and Alistair had  _ a lot _ of doubt, when it came to him. "Okay, fine, but I'm going to need a new partner  _ quickly _ if you don't even want me to do the meeting for funding on my own."

There were footsteps behind him, the unmistakable sound of heels on laminated tile, and he closed his eyes with a sigh. Sometimes, it was like the universe aligned specifically to make his life harder.

"Ophelia, perfect timing. You've heard about Leopold's latest project, haven't you? It seems we've lost Mr. Ward to a leave of absence for the rest of the year and he'll be needing a new partner." The smugness is Alistair's voice was only more obvious with each word that left him, adding tension to the air, probably on purpose. It wouldn't surprise him at all, if that was the case. "Leopold, lead the meeting and make sure Ophelia gets the files for everything before lunch. I want a full update before you leave the office tonight."

-

With a scowl, Leopold pushed the door to his office open and led his new partner into the small space. The meeting had gone  _ fine,  _ for all intents and purposes, but he still thought it was stupid that he needed a new partner at all. He was perfectly capable of leading a project and managing task delegation and organization, so  _ why _ couldn't his controlling boss let him just take over completely. He could almost guarantee it wouldn't end in the company collapsing.

"I'm going to forward you the files to look over this afternoon, and I like to be in the lab around nine in the mornings. I'll see you there tomorrow." He settled into his seat, expecting to be left alone so that he could try to work around Grant's absence, but a short glance told him the doorway wasn't empty and the thing blocking it wasn't the door itself being closed. So much for getting some work done without interruption. "Is there something else you need?"

"Well... Alistair said we're supposed to be  _ partners _ on this, right? I'd probably learn everything I need to know a lot faster if we went over the files together. We could have lunch together and review it all?" Ophelia stepped forward, officially in his office instead of the doorway, and he knew almost immediately that his afternoon wouldn't be at all productive. "We could even eat and then go to the lab so you can show me what you have so far."

"I have to leave early this afternoon. I have plans." Leopold shook his head to cut her off, not moving from his seat while he frowned. "And I have quite a bit to get done before I can go have my nice evening, so I'll see you in the morning. The files will be in your inbox before you even get to your computer."

-

Frowning while she settled into the chair at her own desk, Ophelia stared at the notification that popped up in the corner of her computer screen. The files were already in her email inbox, of course, but she couldn't bring herself to open them and actually look over the information just yet. It looked as though she had the entire afternoon to look at everything, and all night if she wanted it, but that wasn't exactly a  _ good _ thing. From what she understood, they had until the holiday to figure out a few bugs and finish the code in order to secure the money from the investors they'd just spent an hour speaking to.

It was completely ridiculous that he was putting it off at all, let alone for almost a full day, and she had half a mind to complain about it to Alistair. Except, that would likely only get her kicked off of the biggest project she'd ever been a part of, and the promotion that was up for grabs would be  _ entirely _ out of her reach.

With a sigh, Ophelia clicked the little  _ x _ in the corner of the notification to dismiss it, slouching in her seat. Technically, her office wasn't really an office, just a cubicle that was wide open to the rest of the team. None of the projects they worked on were exactly  _ top secret,  _ none of them had the authority to access files like that, but she could still be kicked off the project at a moment's notice, and every single person in the room was trying to get the promotion.  _ The promotion _ was something that only came about when the head of the department moved on or moved up, a sizable pay raise and authority over everyone else - the biggest perk was a private office space, where no one would be able to look over her shoulder or peek at what she was getting up to.

Of course,  _ Leopold _ already had his own office, and probably the authority to access any file in the system, and considering his stepfather was the boss, the promotion was almost certainly already going to go to him. It was completely ridiculous, and unfair, and...

"This is  _ stupid."  _ She scowled at the screen in front of her, which still showed absolutely nothing of note, and only looked up when she heard the chair at the next desk over roll across the plastic laid down to protect the short carpeting.

"What's stupid? Can't read Leopold's handwriting on the prototype blueprints for your new assignment?"

The smile on Bobbi's face was a gentle one, and her words were enough to let her know that the entire office was fully aware of the morning's events. Of course they were. Because there was no way she could possibly make it to  _ lunch _ without everyone somehow catching wind of how she was in the perfect position to snipe the promotion away from the rest of them. The project with Leopold was a big deal, she knew that, but it wasn't nearly as glamorous as everyone was going to make it out to be.

_ "Working _ with Leopold is stupid." Ophelia shook her head and felt herself slouch in her seat before letting out a sigh. "He went to his office as soon as we finished the meeting, and he won't even talk to me about the project. I just have to be in the lab tomorrow morning, after reading  _ everything _ myself. How has he had this job for so long when he can't even work with a partner? Oh, wait, I know-"

_ "Alistair." _

They said the name at the same time, and Bobbi shook her head while leaning over. "If it makes you feel any better, the only person who's ever been able to handle having him as a partner is Grant Ward. And even that is because they knew each other for years before working together. I'm sure it's nothing personal against you - he's just...  _ prickly."  _

With a scoff, Ophelia shook her head and turned back to her computer so she could at least  _ start _ reading through notes before she took her lunch break. "Well, it feels a lot worse than just his prickly personality."

-

Leopold unlocked the door and took a deep breath before stepping into the house. It was a familiar space, somewhere he called  _ home,  _ once, and it brought a smile to his face even before he heard feet on the hardwood floors. The screech that followed only made that smile grow into something nearing a grin.

_ "Da!" _

Without hesitation, he crouched down to welcome his daughter into his arms, hugging her close to his chest. Her hair tickled his chin while he kept her right where she was, not ready to pull away just yet. "There's my girl. Where's your mum, hmm?"

On cue, socked feet rounded the corner from the kitchen just as he was straightening up, the five year old still in his arms. "Alya, we've talked about this. When your father visits, you're not allowed to jump on him until he gets the chance to take off his shoes." Jemma shook her head, the bags under her eyes giving away just how exhausted she was even while putting on a smile. "Sorry, I forgot I asked you to come by early tonight, and she got away from me, and..."

_ "Jem,  _ it's fine. I'd rather get a few extra minutes before I have to get to work, and I can take my shoes off with my toes, see?" Shaking his head, Leopold smiled and gently bounced their daughter in his arms until she giggled. He demonstrated his point easily, toeing off his shoes and kicking them over to the mat by the door. Before he could speak again, he felt a gentle tug to his tie and looked down with a smile. "Yes, sweetheart?"

"Is something broken again?"

He let out a slow breath before shaking his head again. "No, your house is beautiful and perfect, just like you. Why? Do you want to break something?"

Alya giggled again, tucking herself into his chest where his jacket held in his body heat and created a perfect pocket of warmth. It was her favorite place, cheek pressed against the red silk of her father's tie while he held her close, the rumble in his chest whenever he spoke just as soothing as a lullaby.

"It doesn't seem as bad as it was this morning." Jemma shook her head while leading them into the kitchen with a soft sigh, a small collection of towels on the floor by the sink letting him know exactly what the problem was before she explained it. "It  _ only _ does it when it's the cold water, the hot water doesn't leak. I tried to avoid using it as much as possible, but..."

"But there's only so much you can do when the next nearest sink is on the other side of the house, I know." Leopold shook his head and reluctantly started to untangle their daughter from his arms. He put on a soft smile, kissing her hair before he spoke to hide his hesitancy to put her down. "What do you think, Monkey? Can we handle something like this?"

"Yeah!"

As soon as he set her on her feet, Alya darted out of the kitchen and toward the play room. When she returned with her plastic tool set in hand, he couldn't help but smile while he peeled off his socks. "Then let's get to work."

-

By the time she got to the apartment, Ophelia was exhausted. She'd spent the entire afternoon and early evening at her computer, looking over all of the notes and information that had been forwarded to her about the project, and she still barely understood a word of it. It wasn't that complicated, really, just  _ a lot of information, _ and it would have been so much easier if she'd actually been able to discuss it while she read through it all. 

She set her purse down on a chair with a sigh before sinking into the cushions of the nearby couch. The space was a bit cramped, but it had two bedrooms and it was cheap - the combination was hard to come by, and she'd barely managed to snatch up the opportunity. With a roommate, of course, because the economy was in shambles, but she would take what she could get. 

"Phee, you're home!" Her roommate appeared from the short hallway that led to their bedrooms, stepping out into the main living area in a loose shirt and pajama shorts. "How did it go? Did you talk to your boss about the promotion?"

The thing about having Daisy as a roommate was that she somehow remembered everything that was said, even something as mundane as a comment made about work. It wasn't necessarily a  _ bad _ thing, but it wasn't something that she'd been looking forward to when she got home from one of the longest days of her career. Besides taking on the new project with Leopold, she still had her other work to do. And she had to make time for lunch, and she had to stop for food on the way home, and she had to somehow get to sleep within the next hour and a half. Because he wanted to be in the lab early, of course.

"I didn't get the chance. He was in a meeting this morning, and then I got assigned to work on this project with his son which took up the rest of my day." She let out a groan and moved to lay down across the cushions while squeezing her eyes tightly shut. "I don't even know why I'm  _ bothering  _ with this stupid promotion. The entire office knows that Leopold's just going to get it, anyway. None of the rest of us have the luxury of being related to the man who makes the decision."

Daisy frowned, perching on the arm of the couch instead of making her move from her new spot. "Isn't that like...  _ sketchy?  _ If he promotes his kid, you could probably sue him. I think. Don't quote me on that."

Ophelia smiled a bit and took a deep breath before she opened her eyes to look up at the roommate who had slowly become her friend over the year they'd lived together. Even if the entire situation was a bit of a mess, at least there was still a little  _ light _ in her life. "I don't think I can, or else someone would have done it by now. Or, at least, no court has ever found enough  _ proof _ that Alistair Fitz shows favoritism. That's hard to believe when I saw Leopold leave at three o'clock today. He couldn't even stay to go over all of the information with me on  _ his _ project, just run off to whatever he goes when he has  _ plans for the evening." _

"He almost definitely skipped out on work to go be with a girlfriend. Ugh, I'm sorry, Phee. How long is this project going to last?"

"Well, there was an investment meeting this morning, and our plans for the prototype are due by Christmas. If some kind of miracle happens, I'll only have to work with his spoiled ass for a week, and then I'll have my own office and I'll get to assign his new partner to take my place. If the more likely scenario happens...  _ he'll  _ get the promotion, and I'll still only have to work with him for a week."

Daisy laughed at that, shaking her head with a small, teasing smile. "Maybe  _ that  _ is your Christmas miracle."

-

The house was quiet when they settled onto the couch after dinner, the baby monitor on the coffee table an old habit they couldn’t quit. Alya had been sleeping through the night for years, but they still ended up in the same situation every Thursday night - exhausted on the leather couch that he  _ still _ hadn’t moved to his new apartment with the monitor just loud enough that they could hear their daughter’s calm breathing. It was familiar, and comfortable, and something they could fall back on even if everything else was in shambles.

“I never did ask how your day was. Anything exciting happening at work?”

Leopold let out a sigh at the question, closing his eyes while he sank into the couch’s worn down cushions. “Oh, I was supposed to text you at lunch, and then I forgot. Kara went into labor this morning.”

“You’re kidding!”

“Jemma, I don’t  _ kid _ when it comes to our friend becoming a father.” He shook his head with a small smile, looking over at her again with a sigh. “And I’m happy for them, I am, but now he’s on leave, which means I have a  _ new partner.  _ And I can’t even wiggle out of it, because Alistair is being  _ Alistair  _ and hanging the promotion over my head, and it’s...  _ exhausting.  _ How did I survive living with him for eighteen years without committing a felony?”

Jemma laughed softly, moving so she could rest her head against his shoulder. “Because of Grant, I’m sure. But, now you won’t have Grant to be your impulse control, so you’ll have to do it yourself. Don’t commit a murder at work, then you won’t get any custody. And how will I get my free weekends, then?”

With a roll of his eyes, he shifted to put his arm around her shoulders - another old habit, but they were friends before they got together, and their separation and divorce didn’t have to change that. Not being together didn’t mean they had to hate each other’s guts. “No promises. I have a partner who’s trying to insist on actually working  _ with _ me on this project and that’s not how I work.”

“Oh no, a partner who wants to do their job. How  _ dare _ they.” She nudged his side with her elbow, her smile clear in her tone even when her head was down and he couldn’t see her face. “The spare bedroom is made up. I figured you’d stay for the bedtime story again.”

Leopold let himself smile at that, shaking his head with a sigh. “I knew there was a reason I married you in the first place.”

**(** _“so, what’s the new partner’s name? is he fun?”_

_ “Ophelia.” _

_ “...” _

_ “don’t give me that face.” _

_ “this is just my face!”  _ **)**

-

Making her way into the lab, Ophelia checked the time on her phone before drinking down the last dregs of her coffee so that she could dispose of the paper cup.  _ 9:03.  _ Surely, it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world for her to be running a few minutes behind, but something told her that having evidence of her extra stop on the way to the building would only make matters worse. 

She watched Leopold lift his head at her arrival, his sleeves rolled up and his jacket set aside while he held a tablet in his hands. Of course his arms had to look like that, muscles tight under his skin while he gave her a short glance before turning his full attention back to the screen. 

Spoiled and pretty, her least favorite combination. 

“Sorry I’m late. Traffic on the corner was backed up for the morning kindergarten drop off, and I didn’t account for it.”

“It’s like that every morning. Now you know for next time.”

Quiet hung between them for a moment before she could move again, signing into a tablet of her own so that they could get to work. “Will we be here all day, then? Or will I get the chance to do some of my paperwork at any point?”

“I’m leaving at lunch today, so that depends entirely on what you do with your afternoon.” He glanced over at her, his expression neutral and unreadable until the moment he looked away again. “If we finish the base code today, we have two days next week to look for bugs before we have to work on the blueprints for the prototype. That should be a relaxed enough schedule that we can even finish early on a few days and we don’t have to spend  _ all _ of our time together.”

Ophelia blinked at the words, taking a deep breath while she pulled up the pages of code on her own screen. “You really don’t like working with people, do you? How do you expect to handle working with  _ everyone _ if you become head of the department?”

Something did flash in his eyes, then, though she still couldn’t quite tell what it was. “I take it you’re trying to get it, too? And you think I’m guaranteed it because of who our boss is?”

“Well, if  _ my _ father was our boss, I know I certainly wouldn’t be worrying about  _ earning _ a promotion.”

He opened his mouth to respond, only to close it again when both of their tablets beeped. They both looked down at the same time, the same message staring back at both of them in its little gray box.

_ A.Fitz: prototype needs to be finished by Christmas. final code due in by Mon morning. _

The lab was completely silent for a long moment, which was the only reason she could  _ see _ the trembling in Leopold’s fingers without anything else distracting her attention. He moved quickly after that, not even being gentle while he dropped the tablet onto the lab bench before sweeping out of the room without a word. 

-

“Leopold, the investors want to see more progress before the holidays.”

“Then tell them  _ no! _ I gave you the custody schedule for  _ weeks _ ago, you  _ know  _ I have Alya this weekend.” He shook his head while he stepped closer to the desk, not even trying to hide his frustration. If Alistair thought he could get away with taking away one of the few afternoons he had with his family, he was  _ wrong.  _ “I know you can get them to change their minds on this. You did it when it affected  _ your  _ schedule.”

The glare he got was a familiar one, and he was quick to step back again. He’d lived his entire childhood in fear of that exact expression, and he was very bad at breaking habits.

“I didn’t see a note on your schedule when I looked at it an hour ago. It must have gotten  _ lost.” _

Leopold bit his lip, forcing himself to take a deep breath before he spoke again. “I have to pick her up at noon, just like I have every other Friday for the last three months. It's not difficult to  _ remember  _ that pattern - if I stayed late last weekend, then I can't do it this week."

"Leopold-"

"I was supposed to have her all this week, but you  _ insisted _ on having the stupid investment meeting yesterday." He didn't so much as slow down while he continued to rant, shaking his head with a scowl. "I'm tired of you taking away my time with my daughter just because you're bitter and sad."

The silence that filled the office, then, was thick with tension. Alistair stared him down across the desk, his own face completely unreadable. "If this prototype is not finished by Christmas, I can guarantee that the department head position will not be yours. So, I suppose you have quite the decision to make."

With a short nod, Leopold held his gaze and made his voice stay calm. "Yeah, I suppose I do."

-

The thing about Alistair Fitz's office was that the windows weren't frosted. He liked to watch over his employees while they worked, but it meant they could watch him, too, if they were so inclined. On this morning in particular, they were inclined.

The office was soundproofed, so they couldn't hear what was being said, but they could  _ see _ that Leopold wasn't happy. He was openly upset while a few sets of eyes watched through the parted blinds, and it was anyone's guess why. There were whispers around the main room, theories and judgement flying with each other for as long as the door stayed closed.

"Looks like Mr. Spoiled isn't getting everything he wants. That's certainly something new. We might be witnessing history."

Ophelia looked over at the sound of Bobbi's voice, staying with her weight against the edge of her desk while she crossed her arms. She'd tried to follow when he stormed out of the lab, but she was too slow and got the same show that everyone else was getting. And it was becoming painfully clear that she knew just a little bit more than everyone else. With a small shake of her head, she turned her gaze back to the window and took a slow breath. "Alistair moved the timeline up on the project. I guess he won't be able to run off to his afternoon plans, now, and he's upset about it."

"Afternoon plans?" Bobbi scoffed, her work forgotten while she relaxed into her seat. "God, of course. He leaves early every other Friday, doesn't he? Do you think he takes daddy's yacht out for his long weekends?"

Coughing to cover a laugh, Ophelia shook her head and let out a slow breath. "Probably. He left early yesterday, too. Maybe for a quick flight on the private jet to get something fancy for dinner?" They both laughed at the thought, the sound cut off when the door to the office opened up.

Leopold was frowning when he shuffled out, quiet until he made it over to her desk. Even then, his voice was low when he spoke, and he didn't quite look her in the eye. "If I give you an address, can you be there just whenever you're done here this evening? I can't stay past noon, but we have to get the code finalized in time for the prototype to actually  _ work,  _ so..."

After a moment, she was able to make herself nod. "Yeah, sure. I'll check out a tablet from the lab for the weekend and see you tonight."

He finally met her gaze, only for a few seconds, and straightened his shoulders. "Good. I'll email you. I, uh... I think you said something about some paperwork that needed to get done? I'll just, erm, leave you to that." And, for the second time in less than an hour, he left the room with her watching, speechless and stunned.

-

When she got the email with an address and watched Leopold leave the building just before noon, Ophelia almost expected the destination to be a hidden away restaurant or a fancy penthouse. It would fit his style, or at least what everyone assumed of him. Between his father and his own income, there was no doubt in her mind that he could afford such luxuries. Instead, when she followed his instructions and showed up at the door with a tablet tucked into her purse, it was a third floor walkup apartment in a decent but not all that luxurious building, and she was almost hesitant to knock. There was no way this was the right address.

But, when the door opened, it was a familiar face that greeted her while somehow seeming to be a complete stranger. She was used to seeing Leopold dressed up for the office, in his suit and tie with his hair slicked down, but this wasn't that.  _ This  _ was a different Leopold, with loose sweatpants and a shirt without buttons and  _ curls.  _ It was the exact opposite of what she was used to.

_ "Da!"  _ A screech from further in the apartment and then the sound of little feet running on carpet cut off anything she could have said to the strange sight, and then it only got stranger. The shock of blonde hair that came around the corner was attached to a very small child who quickly threw her arms around Leopold's leg as soon as she was close enough. "Beep! Nuggies time!"

Pulling away from the door with a sheepish smile, he slowly crouched down to look the girl in the eye. "Did the oven actually beep or are you just saying it did because you want your chicken nuggets?"

"Beep!" She insisted with a nod, giving the short sleeve of his shirt a tug.  _ "Nuggies!" _

He sighed softly, looking up at Ophelia again after a moment. "I'm sorry, I'll just be a minute. Go ahead and come in, make yourself at home. I can, uh... offer up some chicken nuggets and macaroni if you're hungry at all?"

Shaking her head, Ophelia hesitated before offering up her own soft smile. "I don't need anything, thank you. I didn't realize I'd be the third wheel tonight. Should I come back another time...?"

Leopold straightened up again, stepping back to give her more room to walk inside while he quickly shook his head. "This code has to be done by Monday, right? I have my daughter all weekend, and she's not allowed in the lab, so... I just have to make sure dinner isn't burning, and then we can get started?"

"Da, nuggies!"

"Okay, okay, I know, let's go look at them." He scooped his daughter up in his arms and kissed her hair before carrying her off to the kitchen.

Ophelia stepped inside slowly, glancing around at the humble surroundings and trying to figure out how  _ Leopold Fitz  _ and whoever had met her at the door could possibly be the same person. This was a far cry from his usual scowl and put together appearance, and the fact that he had a family at all outside of Alistair was new information. She could almost guarantee that no one in the office knew about this side of him, either. It would almost be sad if she wasn't so  _ confused. _

She set her purse down on the arm of the nearby couch, the smaller than she expected apartment making it seem too big for the space. Anyone in his position, with his father running the company he worked for and the paychecks he must get from his fancy office and special projects, didn't have any reason to live like  _ this.  _ But it seemed as though she'd been misjudging him, so far, and at least some of the assumptions she'd made had been wrong.

_ Leopold _ was carefully put together and composed at all times. He was focused at work even when he left early, and everything that needed to get done  _ did _ get done, and it got done well. He was constantly in a bad mood and made sure everyone knew it, and he  _ hated  _ being made to cooperate with anyone who didn't meet his standards. This was... someone else. 

She was pulled out of her thoughts when she heard giggling from nearby, turning around in time to see him carrying his daughter back into the main room. He was smiling, and it wasn't whatever sheepish thing he'd put on at the door; it was big and bright and  _ real.  _ It was almost disorienting, seeing the lips that were so often curled into a frown hold an expression that felt so soft.

When he turned to face her, that smile stayed, along with the matching one on the smaller face next to his. "Sorry, I'm not used to having to introduce her to people. Ophelia, this is Alya, she's five. Alya, can you say hi? Ophelia's gonna be working with da for a little bit tonight."

Ophelia had to take a slow breath when Alya waved, the warmth that filled her chest something that she couldn't push down. If this was how he was outside of work - sweet and gentle and loving - then why was he so closed off at the office? He worked with  _ family, _ after all, and that seemed to be something he enjoyed. At least, he enjoyed it in the quiet of his small apartment. The argument they'd all watched that morning proved that was less than true in a workplace environment. 

"Hi, sweetheart. Aren't you cute?"

The words earned her a giggle, and Alya tried to hide her face in her father's chest until something let out a loud  _ beep _ from the kitchen. At the sound, Leopold gently set his daughter down on the floor before heading back into the other room. "I just have to finish dinner! I'll be right back!"

His daughter took off after him, letting out a happy squeal. "Nuggies!"

-

After dinner, Alya had insisted on turning on  _ the mummy bear movie,  _ which Leopold quickly explained meant that she wanted to watch  _ Brave.  _ And so  _ Brave  _ was turned on while they worked from tablets from the kitchen table. Every so often, there would be a giggle or a squeal that let them know she was enjoying herself.

As soon as the credits rolled, she padded into the kitchen and over to his side, her stuffed monkey clutched tightly in her hand. At the request for a bedtime story while she laid down, he'd reluctantly agreed and carried her down the hall to bed.

When he returned almost half an hour later, Ophelia had moved to the couch and was working quietly on the tablet she'd brought along. It was a peaceful sight, the warm glow from the lamp casting the living room in a faint orange hue. Maybe he didn't mind having her over and letting her see a bit more of his life. Grant saw it fairly often and had never once used it against him or complained about the weekends he couldn't do anything. Or maybe Jemma was right and he was just  _ really  _ lonely whenever his work conflicted with the schedule he thought would be so carefully planned out forever.

He took a breath before getting settled on the couch next to her, shaking his head slowly. "Sorry that took so long. She normally doesn't take that long to go down."

"It's no problem. I can't imagine that's an easy age to handle, especially when you've been working so much lately. I take it you don't get to see her very often?"

"I'm  _ supposed  _ to." Letting out a sigh, Leopold dropped his gaze to his hands with a small frown. His tablet was probably still on the kitchen table, and he should go get it, but they'd made plenty of progress while he'd snacked on what was left of the nuggets. The base code was done, and all the bug fixes could be done separately throughout the weekend. They didn't need to get everything done in a night. "The custody schedule says I get her every other weekend and one week a month. But I've missed the week every month since school started because Alistair keeps giving me back to back projects and scheduling important things on my weeks with her... I'm sorry, you came over to work, not to listen to me complain."

There was quiet for a long moment before Ophelia turned the tablet's screen off and looked at him properly. "Why not? I've worked with you for over a year and I feel like I don't even know you. I didn't even know you  _ had  _ a daughter until I got here. I feel like I should know at least a little bit about the guy who's going to be my boss in a week."

He let out a scoff at that, lifting his head again. "You're all really convinced I'm going to get the promotion, aren't you? You don't know I have a kid. You don't know about my ex-wife. You think I'm going to get a promotion for the sole reason that our boss happened to raise me. No one in that damn office knows  _ anything _ about me, and that was on purpose for so long... but I see how everyone looks at me when I leave early. Because they don't know that I'm picking my daughter up from school and probably assume I'm doing something  _ luxurious  _ and  _ exciting..." _

"Bobbi and I theorized that you were taking Alistair's yacht out for long weekends and sleeping around with models."

"Of course you did."

Quiet hung between them, then, and the only sound came from the lamp buzzing from the end table. It wasn't quite as tense as the quiet he'd faced in his stepfather's office that morning, or any other day they had a disagreement. It wasn't exactly  _ nice,  _ but it wasn't horrible, either, and that was really all he could ask for. So he savored it, and memorized the strange lightness in his chest before he spoke again and the moment shattered.

"I know that Grant knows, because we were friends when I found out about it, but... Alistair  _ isn't _ my father. Don't count on me getting the promotion because I haven't had the time or motivation to change my last name." Leopold made himself meet her gaze while he continued, pushing through and getting everything out. Things would probably be easier between them if she had the full picture. "He, uh... kind of hates me for that, actually. The fact that I haven't been fired feels like a miracle, sometimes. I'm almost definitely  _ not _ getting that promotion, but sometimes... he talks about it like I still have a chance, so I do what I need to do. But then that turns into meetings with investors and moved up timelines that  _ purposefully  _ cut into my time with Alya, and I'm still chasing his approval like I did when I was a kid, only now I feel even  _ more _ stupid than I did back then because I  _ know _ it's not possible but I'm jumping through his stupid hoops, anyway."

He flinched when he felt her hand on his shoulder even after watching the contact coming. When she spoke, her voice was gentle, which almost seemed like a contradiction to her words. "You need to open up more. Probably to a therapist. But if Alistair can't see that you're capable, then that's his problem. I've had my judgement, in the past, but you've always done your job well, usually a few days earlier than most people would get it done. And juggling being a  _ parent  _ on top of all of that... I can't imagine how difficult that must be."

"It certainly  _ feels  _ like juggling, only lately it feels like I keep dropping all the balls. I can't even adapt my work schedule around when I'm supposed to have Alya here, I can't impress the  _ one  _ person I've been trying to impress for the last twenty years, I'm not going to get this promotion I've been clawing for since the summer..." Letting out a sigh, he squeezed his eyes shut and put his head in his hands.

"Why do you even want this promotion?" Her words cut through the sudden quiet that had fallen between them again, making him frown. "If someone else gets it,  _ they'll _ be your boss, but if you get it, your schedule is still completely dictated by Alistair... Presumably, he'll still ruin your schedule with your daughter, and the only perk that it actually comes with is slightly better pay. Is it worth that?"

Leopold bit his tongue, still not quite looking at her when he lifted his head again. "I don't think I actually  _ want _ the promotion. I just... I want him to see that he's been wrong about me, all these years, that I didn't waste my time getting a PhD in a field that I'm qualified to be in. And I'd get  _ some _ sway over when I work, and I wouldn't have to  _ always _ be partnered up for projects like I need some kind of babysitter to make sure I get my job done." He took a slow, steadying breath before sitting up straight and righting his shoulders. "I'm sorry, really. I shouldn't have made you come over to work when I could have just taken a tablet and done it by Monday morning. It's Friday night, and you probably have something better to be doing that isn't sitting on your coworker's couch after spending hours here because I couldn't manage my time better the rest of this week. Really, don't even worry about looking through for bugs. I can get it done during nap times and after I put Alya down for the next few nights. Thank you, though. The base code got done a lot faster with two people working on it."

"Leopold-"

"Seriously, Ophelia, go home. I'll see you on Monday, okay?"

After a moment, she slowly got to her feet with a sigh, her gaze not leaving him while she collected her purse. There was a beat, and another, and then, "fine, but I want it marked somewhere that I was going to offer to stay and help you work on the code as late as I needed to. And, if you want me to comb through any of the code so you can actually have some free time, email me. I... will probably just be watching cheesy holiday movies with my roommate all weekend."

He let himself smile, then, shaking his head and slowly standing up to show her to the door. "I won't."

-

Despite the fact that she'd been up the entire night, Ophelia was sitting at the kitchen counter with a cup of coffee when Daisy woke up on Saturday morning. She was staring down at the tablet in front of her with a concentrated frown, watching and only tapping the screen when it went dim and threatened to turn off. The entire apartment smelled like cinnamon from the plate of French toast she was picking at, adding a hint of cheer to the otherwise quiet space.

"You're up early. Is there any coffee left?"

"I just made another pot." Shaking her head, she made herself look up from the screen with a tired smile. "It should still be hot, and the sugar is by the stove. I used it for my breakfast."

With a nod, her roommate stepped around her and into the kitchen to prepare a mug. Once it was mixed with the right amount of cream and sugar, Daisy let out a happy little hum. "Perfect, as always. Are you working? Are you at least getting paid a little extra to exhaust yourself even more on the weekend? And after getting back late last night... did this Leopold guy make you do it so he could go out on another date night?"

"Nope." Ophelia finished the word with a  _ pop,  _ shaking her head. "He specifically told me not to do this, but I did it anyway."

_ "Why?" _

She set her fork down and took a deep breath. "Because he has his daughter this weekend, and it's stupid that he should have to work on fixing up a code when he could spending time with her. We worked for  _ hours  _ last night, and he doesn't get her again until after the New Year, so... I stayed up and combed through for bugs."

Daisy shot her a look and stepped over to her side. "Wait, back up, cranky rich man Leopold, the one who never smiles, has a  _ daughter?" _ When she nodded, the next sound that filled the kitchen was a heavy sigh. "God, poor kid."

Ophelia frowned at the words, quickly shaking her head. "What? No. No, she's  _ so  _ lucky to have a dad like him. You know, he was supposed to have her all week, and then that meeting got scheduled for Thursday... I think that's why he's so upset all the time, especially lately. He's supposed to see her more often, but-"

"But he works, instead?"

"But he  _ has _ to work, because he's supporting a child on top of his own needs, and the timeline for this project constantly changing  _ isn't  _ his fault." She shot back quickly, her shoulders sagging. "I'm waiting for him to wake up, because I emailed him about everything I did last night, but that was... four hours ago?"

Daisy was quiet for a moment, glancing at the clock on the stove before speaking. "You emailed him at  _ three in the morning,  _ and now you're waiting around for him to email you back instead of getting some sleep? Phee..."

Ophelia shook her head and turned back to her breakfast. "I've had plenty of coffee. I'll go lay down as soon as I know he's seen it. Then I can rest  _ knowing _ that he's going to have a peaceful weekend with his daughter instead of worrying about all of this."

"Oh, my god." The stool next to her moved while Daisy sat down, clear glee hidden in her eyes. "You  _ like  _ him. You spent one night seeing cranky Leopold with a child and now you've got it  _ bad." _

"Daisy, I-"

"Are you going to ask him out before he gets promoted? I'm assuming you can't ask out your  _ boss,  _ so you have to make your move quick. You said he only has the kid sometimes, right? So, there's a custody agreement? That means he's not married, Phee,  _ get it!" _

_ "Daisy-" _

"Is he cute? I'm assuming his daughter's adorable, she's a child, but what about him? All I ever hear about is how he's grumpy and scowling all the time. Is he at least  _ hot _ when he's not smiling?"

Ophelia was quiet for a long moment, feeling heat flood her cheeks. She could try to blame it on the lack of sleep, or the caffeine in her system, but she doubted that excuse would work. "I mean... in a certain light, when he takes his jacket off and rolls up his sleeves in the lab... I  _ suppose  _ some people would call him attractive..."

Daisy grinned, leaning over to gently bump her shoulder with her own.  _ "Nice." _

-

Alya was already running across the grass by the time he got the chance to actually close the car door, right into her mother's arms. With a shake of his head, Leopold carried her weekend bag to the front door and set it down inside. He even managed to catch the tail end of a very excited conversation.

"And I got to meet  _ 'Lia!" _

The name, of course, was a reference to the coworker he'd had over exactly once, though that hadn't stopped his daughter from continuing to ask questions.  _ Uncle Grant and Auntie Kara are your friends. Is 'Lia your friend? Does that mean 'Lia is my Auntie, too? I wanna show 'Lia the monkeys movies! Can 'Lia come over to play?  _ It was endless in the most endearing, adorable way she always was, and even hearing the nickname brought a smile to his face.

"You got to meet  _ 'Lia,  _ did you?"

Something in Jemma's tone made him stop, turning to look at her with a sigh. It was one thing for his daughter to like his coworker, she was  _ five _ and liked everybody, but he was plenty familiar with what his ex-wife's face meant. "Don't do that. We had to work on the code for the project because Alistair screwed with the timeline, again. We worked and turned on a movie, that's all."

"And then we got  _ ice cream!" _

Leopold rolled his eyes with a smile before he explained. "Ophelia also happened to finish perfecting the code the other night, which meant I didn't have any work to do all weekend. So, we got ice cream, and went to a movie, and got sandwiches yesterday."

Alya grinned and nodded her head while she let Jemma lift her up. "Fun weekend with Da!"

"Is that so? It sounds like you had a good time. Maybe you'll get to have more fun weekends like that in the future, hmm?" Jemma shook her head with a soft smile, gently ushering their daughter further inside so that she could close the door. "If your code is finished, then you can spare ten minutes to have tea, can't you? You can tell me about this  _ partner  _ of yours."

He sighed and rolled his eyes, following her into the kitchen. "Yeah, fine. But I do have to go into the office on time so that we can run a few simulations.  _ One _ cup, and then I'm leaving."

Almost immediately, her smile started to look like a smirk, and he didn't need to hear her next words to know what she was up to. "Tell me about  _ Ophelia." _

"Jemma..."

"What? It's been  _ two years,  _ Leo, you're allowed to move on."

"Speaking of," Leopold cut in quickly, shaking his head while he got the sugar out of the cupboard. "When does your astronaut get back to town? Is he going to make it to the annual Christmas celebration, or are we both dateless?"

She moved around the kitchen, pouring two cups of hot tea before narrowing her eyes at him. "Will gets home tomorrow, and he'll be staying for two months, this time. After that, he'll be gone for a few weeks to finish paperwork, and then he'll be home permanently, just in time for the wedding. So, for Christmas, I will have my fiancé, and you will have..."

_ "No date,  _ this year. Unfortunately, my work husband had to cancel, on account of his real life wife giving birth." Leopold smirked while he took the tea from her, turning his gaze to the cup so that he could focus on  _ it  _ instead of the twist in his gut. It was one thing when his ex-wife was dating again, and then engaged, but another thing entirely when her wedding was fast approaching and all he had were reminders that he was still alone. "It's fine. I'll drink cocoa and eat snacks with Alya all night, you can have a good time with Will, and I can take her for a few days so you can have a proper reunion. I don't work at all between Christmas and New Year's, so if you really want, I can drop her off at school that next Monday, and then we can go back to our usual schedule?"

"Actually..." Jemma took a breath, leaning against the counter while she prepared her own tea. "Alistair has to announce the promotion before the office closes for the holidays, doesn't he? If you get it, and you should, after working as hard as you have all year, then maybe we can rearrange that schedule, just a little bit."

He was quiet for a moment, turning his head to look over at her with a small, confused frown. "Rearrange? Rearrange how? Jemma, if this is about me having to skip my weeks, lately, I-"

"Leo, relax. I know why you've been working so hard, and it's okay. And I know why you're worried." She offered him a small smile, her eyes soft while she stepped closer to him and lowered her voice. They could hear the television from the living room that meant Alya had found the remote and turned on her cartoons, but that didn't mean she couldn't come into the kitchen at any moment. "You aren't your father, I know that, and she knows that, too. I was just suggesting, if your schedule at work becomes a little more flexible... it really is silly that she only spends a few days with you at a time. I was thinking something more like  _ every other week.  _ Something regular."

Leopold took a slow breath, staring at her while he bit his tongue. In an ideal world, that's how it always would have been, but an ideal world had always been just beyond his reach. "I'm not going to get the promotion... we both know how he is. I've been working for it and he keeps using it for a manipulation tactic, but... I'm not stupid enough to think that's not all it is. He's mastered tugging me along, by now..."

The kitchen fell quiet again, both of them sipping their tea without a word. And, for just a moment, he could almost convince himself that their marriage hadn't fallen apart and that everything was  _ easy  _ again.

-

Ophelia was leaning against a lab bench when the doors opened, glancing up from the computer to offer her partner a smile. It was odd, being there and ready to work before Leopold even arrived at the building, and she made sure her tone conveyed just how  _ light  _ she felt, seeing him start to let go. It couldn't be healthy, working as much as he did and then continuing to put pressure on himself by working from home every spare hour he had.

"What happened? Did you get caught in kindergarten traffic?"

"There wasn't any, today. School's out for the holidays." She watched his expression go from confused to recognition in a matter of seconds, and then he  _ smiled.  _ It was easy to get used to that expression when they were in his apartment, eating mass produced chicken nuggets and fixing the volume of a Disney movie, but it was almost more natural in the middle of the lab. Maybe it was the fluorescents. "Oh, no, I, uh... I had a girl over, last night, and she really wore me out, so we slept in."

Ophelia let herself laugh, shaking her head with a bright smile. Jokes weren't his strong suit, but he was trying, and she'd never even seen that much before. "Is that so? Was she just too demanding for you?"

"Something like that." Leopold's expression had softened while he logged into a tablet, pulling up the finished code and approaching her bench. "We watched  _ Brave  _ at least four more times yesterday alone. It's her favorite, right now, so she insists I sing the lullaby to her every night, too. I wouldn't be surprised if I got a phone call tonight from her mum demanding it of me over facetime."

She shook her head again, hitting the button to start running a round of simulations. "I think it's sweet. She clearly loves you a lot, and if she shows that by asking for you to sing her favorite song, there's nothing wrong with that."

"She keeps asking about you, you know. She keeps telling me about how you almost have the same name."

"The same name?" Ophelia arched a brow while she looked over at him, the simulations running in the background. To get all the data they needed, it would take at least an hour, which meant any planning for the prototype itself could wait a little while.

With a nod, Leopold set his tablet down to shrug out of his jacket. His usual red tie was a little looser, slightly askew, but still professional enough. Unfortunately, she couldn't take her eyes off of it even when he spoke. " _ Alya. 'Lia.  _ Her five year old brain just won't let go of it. I'm sure she's talking her mum's ear off about it, right now."

She pulled her gaze back to the screen of her computer while she smiled, letting out a soft sigh. "Is that so? Well, that's even sweeter than demanding lullabies." The system beeped to let them know that the first round of simulations had finished, and she saved the results before running them again. "Do you have any holiday plans with the angel, or was this weekend the extent of the celebration? I do hope you got to have  _ some _ fun once you didn't have any more work to throw yourself into."

"I didn't really properly thank you for that, did I? I got to take her to a movie for the first time since  _ June, _ because of you. I owe you one. I owe you  _ ten."  _ He fell quiet for a moment, settling onto a wheeled chair nearby and seeming to actually relax into it. "Are  _ you _ doing anything for Christmas? Besides watching cheesy movies with the roommate?"

Ophelia looked over at him again, his blue eyes catching her gaze and not letting go while she tried to figure out what, exactly, he was asking. She couldn't tell if it was just curiosity, there, or something more, and her words were almost hesitant. "No solid plans. I'm exchanging gifts with my roommate in the morning, and we're making brunch at home, but nothing after that."

"Do you want to go to a Christmas party with me?"

It was a good thing she wasn't running the simulations on a tablet, or else she would have dropped the device right then and there. The question wasn't entirely out of nowhere, considering it was technically related to the conversation at hand, but it was still enough to catch her off guard. Was he asking her out? On a  _ date? _ "Sorry?" And, of course, she was too flustered to even come up with a proper response.

"I just mean..." The deep breath he took was audible, the beep from the computer not enough to pull their attention back to their work. "Jemma, my ex-wife, uh... we used to have this Christmas party at the house every year? And Alya loved it so much that we kept it going even after the divorce. It's just that... Jemma's new fiancé is going to be there, and Grant is normally my plus one, but he can't go, this year, so... yeah. Do you want to go to a Christmas party with me?"

"You want me to be your date to your Christmas party because your ex-wife has a new fiancé and you don't want to be a third wheel?"

"Um..." Leopold hesitated, taking another slow breath while he looked up at her. "Well... it sounds kind of bad, when you put it like that... I know that Alya really wants to see you again, and if you don't have any other plans... there will be champagne? The really good kind. My da's paying for the alcohol and the catering, this year."

She shook her head with a faint smile, still clearly hesitant. "Well, if Alistair's paying..."

"No, Ophelia..." He was quiet for a moment before lowering his voice. "My  _ da.  _ He's been working on some research in Glasgow and can't make it this year, so his Christmas gift to the family is food and wine for the annual party. And fireworks, but those are supposed to be a surprise for Jemma, so you can't tell her about it, if you end up going."

Ophelia paused and stared at him for a long moment, taking in all of the new information. Once he started opening up, he just didn't stop, it seemed. "I never say no to free alcohol. But I'm not doing it for you, I'm doing it for your daughter. What's her favorite animal? I have to go get her a Christmas gift before the party."

Leopold smiled a bit, nodding his head and visibly relaxing that much more. "If you email me your address, I can pick you up at six on Friday? And she absolutely  _ loves  _ monkeys."

-

When Ophelia settled at her desk after lunch, she pulled up the files she needed on her computer and was completely ready to get to work. The one thing she didn't account for was the chair that rolled over to hers and the coworker who was most likely to cause an actual distraction within the office.

"Is it just me, or was Leopold actually  _ smiling _ in the cafeteria today?" Bobbi kept her voice low, but not so low that they were the only ones who heard it. Anyone who walked by could overhear if they wanted to, but that was completely normal for their workplace gossip. "What did you guys do on Friday? Did he take you to a bar? A fancy restaurant? His penthouse? Oh, my god, did you-"

_ "Bobbi, _ I just went to his place, and we worked on the code. He's probably just smiling because he had a good weekend after that." Shaking her head, she tried to focus on the task at hand, which was the paperwork she needed to finish before she could leave for the day. Leopold could handle the sketches that needed to get done for their project easily, and they would still be ahead of schedule. They'd started to get working together down to an art. "Apparently he got to go out and see a movie, so I'm going to assume that his good mood stems from taking his attention away from work for a while."

Bobbi sighed and shook her head with a small frown. "Can you at least tell me what his place was like? Was it nice? I bet he has a great view. It's a penthouse, right? It has to be."

"It's a third floor walk up, but thanks for thinking I can afford a nice place in the city. That is a nice ego boost." They both turned around at the sound of Leopold's voice, their eyes wide with surprise. He didn't seem upset. In fact, the hint of a smile pulled at the corner of his lips, a ghost of what people had witnessed in the cafeteria. "I just wanted to let Ophelia know that I'm going to upload the sketches when I'm done with them, so she can take a look and let me know if she has any thoughts on the final design."

Ophelia nodded with a smile of her own, relaxing in her seat while Bobbi all but gaped at them. "Just send me a message when they're in the system, and I'll see if I have time to look at them later this afternoon."

"Perfect. You know where to find me if there's any issues."

And, if Bobbi was still looking between them with an expression of abject shock while he walked away, maybe that made him smile a little bit, too.

-

"Daisy!" Ophelia walked into the apartment early that evening and didn't waste any time seeking out her roommate. She was easily found in her bedroom, some Netflix comedy special playing on her laptop even while the next words were all but yelled into the small space. "He asked me out."

Almost immediately, Netflix was paused and the room went silent until blankets rustled to let Daisy to her face. "Wait, wait, wait... certified hot dad Leopold asked you out? Am I understanding that correctly?"

For a long moment, all she could manage was a nod. Finding the ability to take a breath took some time, and finding her voice again took even more, but it did happen. "He asked me to be his date to his Christmas party that he's throwing with his ex-wife. And his daughter's going to be there, so I said she was the reason I was saying yes, but... oh my  _ god,  _ why did I say yes?"

Daisy stepped over and put her hands on her friend's shoulders. "Look, worst case scenario, he's using you as arm candy. Which just means he has  _ great  _ taste, because you're  _ delicious  _ arm candy, Phee. Best case... this is a date, that he wants to go on,  _ with you,  _ and that saves you the time and hassle of asking him out yourself. Now, I have a very important question for you."

"More important to this? What?"

Ophelia watched her roommate shake her head with a small grin. "What are you going to wear?"

-

It wasn’t until Tuesday afternoon that Leopold had the chance to make a phone call, settled on the couch in his apartment while he held the device to his ear. He knew he didn’t have a huge window of time to call Grant Ward, with the infant that was surely taking up most of his friend’s time, but he only had one other close friend. This wasn’t exactly something he could talk to Jemma about, at least not comfortably.

_ “Leo, I swear to god, if you’re calling to complain about something Alistair did when it can easily be a text, I’m hanging up on you.” _

_ “Please _ don’t hang up. I really need your advice.” He took a deep breath, holding onto the phone that much tighter with a small frown. “I have a plus one for the Christmas party, and-”

_ “I can’t be your date this year, you know that.” _

“Grant, stop, I’m trying to tell you that I asked someone and I have...  _ no idea _ what to do from here.” There was a long moment of silence on the line, and Leopold whispered when he spoke again. “Please tell me you didn’t hang up...”

_ “No, I’m just trying to figure out how you met someone. All you do is work and watch Disney movies with Alya. When did this happen?” _

“Well... you know how Alistair sucks?”

_ “Yes, I’m aware, continue.” _

“He assigned me a new partner, when you started your leave. I’ve been working with Ophelia since Thursday, and because I had Alya for the weekend, we had to do some work outside of the office, and... I don’t know, we had a good night. So, I decided to ask her to the party, and then she said  _ yes,  _ and now... I just don’t know where to go from here.”

_ “Well, I have some good news for you.” _

“Yeah? Give it to me.”

_ “You’re moving forward with your life, and you already asked her out and she agreed. That means you already did the hard part.” _

-

When he got the notice to report to his stepfather's office on Wednesday morning, Leopold stared at the gray box on his screen. The sentence wasn't a completely unfamiliar one, because it was his usual way of summoning people without actually having to talk to them. The only thing different about this instance was that it was the last day before the building would be closed up for the holidays, and the promotion was going to be announced before five o'clock, and the fact that _he_ was getting a summons to the office didn't quite feel real.

He knocked on the open door to announce himself before stepping inside slowly, his breath caught in his throat. It was a good sign, being invited in for a discussion, but the fact that their last conversation in this office had been an  _ argument  _ didn't leave him feeling particularly optimistic. This was  _ Alistair  _ he was talking to. It was just as likely that he was being fired for insubordination.

"Leopold, take a seat."

Well, that wasn't a  _ good  _ sign.

"If this is about my schedule last week, everything got handled, and-"

"I know." The tone wasn't exactly gentle, but it was easily the least harsh he'd ever heard that voice, and that was enough to stun him into silence. "I got an email from the head of engineering after they received your blueprints yesterday. He says they're good work. He also made a request."

Leopold blinked at him, taking a deep breath. "Yeah...?"

Alistair nodded quietly and let out a sigh. "Pack up your office. I need the space for the new head of the department, and you can sign off on the transfer papers when you get downstairs. Mackenzie was very insistent that you meet with him before you leave, today. I assume you'll be satisfied with the transfer - your hours will be much more flexible, and most of your work will be on your own instead of with a partner."

"And...  _ in engineering..."  _ Taking another deep breath, he dared to let himself smile. He'd chosen the field for his PhD for a reason. It had just been so long that he'd convinced himself he'd never actually get to  _ use  _ it as long as he was still under Alistair's thumb. "This isn't real, is it? I'm dreaming. I'm going to wake up soon, and it's still going to be Wednesday, and I'm going to have no promotion and no transfer."

"I suggest you go, now, before I change my mind."

Leopold nodded quickly, already backing toward the door with a wider smile. "Right. Thank you!"

-

Watching the closed door of the office, Ophelia quietly sipped at her coffee with a frown. Everyone else was whispering about why Leopold had gotten into the elevator with boxes of his things just before lunch, about what had happened to the office golden boy to make him  _ leave  _ instead of accepting the promotion he was all but guaranteed. She was the only one who was thinking about the notification that had popped up on her screen, because she was the only one who had received one. And it was getting terrifyingly close to when she would have to go  _ into  _ Alistair's office to see what he needed her for.

She made herself get to her feet and turn off her screen, Bobbi's questions barely acknowledged while she walked away. Whatever it was, it had to be important, especially when it was the last few hours before the announcement for the promotion had to be made, and now there was an empty office for whoever received it.

Cracking the door to Alistair's office open just far enough that she could lean in, she offered up a smile. "You wanted to see me, sir? What can I do for you?"

His gaze moved from his computer screen to the doorway, and the sigh he let out seemed to make the entire room seem heavier. "Come in, Ophelia, and close the door." As soon as she did as he asked and before she could even step toward the chair near his desk, he was speaking again. "I have no idea what rumors are spreading among the office, and I don't care. Leopold has vacated the office intended for the head of the department, and someone needs to fill it. I'm under the impression that you did well on your project this last week, and if you can handle him, you can handle anything this job might throw at you. If you're still interested in the promotion, the office can be yours before the end of the day."

She was too stunned to respond right away, staring at him with wide eyes. After applying for the promotion and trying to keep her name in the mix for months, the fact that it was finally happening felt like a dream. Surely, any moment, she'd wake up in bed and be working with Leopold on the project again, and the entire morning will be undone. But even her dreams had never really cast Alistair in the kindest light, and they were rarely this optimistic.

"Yes." When she could make herself speak, Ophelia did so quickly, nodding her head with a disbelieving smile. "Yes, of course, I'm still interested. I'll go start moving my things as soon as I finish sending out a few emails."

"And you'll receive an email about your new duties as the head before you're settled in. I trust you'll execute them well as we go into the new year."

Ophelia nodded her head and started toward the door again with a smile, unconsciously standing up a bit taller. "Yes, sir. Thank you, sir."

-

By Friday afternoon, she was beginning to worry. She had sent her address to Leopold as soon as she was settled in her new office, and gotten an email back to confirm that he was still picking her up, but no  _ answers.  _ No one she'd spoken to had seen him after he left on Wednesday morning, and between reading all of the information that Alistair had sent her and preparing the apartment for Christmas, she hadn't had time to check in to ask him herself.

When she woke up that morning, she'd almost expected to have an email explaining that he couldn't pick her up, or that their plans were cancelled entirely, but there was still nothing. The only thing she  _ did  _ wake up to was the gift exchange that Daisy had insisted on doing so they had a way to  _ properly celebrate  _ the holiday. While Ophelia herself had stuck to the maximum spending they'd set in place, with a scarf and had set that she'd seen while picking up a sweater for herself at the beginning of the season, her roommate had followed the rules less closely. She'd opened her own gift box to the sight of a dress that sparkled in the light coming in from the window, the green material making her frown.

"Daisy, I don't need-"

"Oh, my god, Phee, you didn't have anything to wear tonight, so I got you something. And you said Leopold wears red ties all the time, right? Now, you'll be all festive together." Daisy shot her a grin and adjusted the hat on her head, the tag still hanging off the top. "You're welcome."

Rolling her eyes at the words, Ophelia tucked the dress away so that she could make breakfast. And, after that, the day went as any normal one did. They sat around watching cheesy movies and eating too many waffles and celebrating her promotion, and she didn't check her email once. When the afternoon came, she had to pull herself away from the couch to start getting ready, doing her best to ignore her roommate's teasing through the entire routine.

She got distracted when she had to do her hair, staring at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. The green dress did look good, she would be the last to deny that, but it still felt like too much. There wasn't any reason she  _ needed _ to dress up for a Christmas party, especially when she was really only going to make a five year old happy, but she liked how she looked. Maybe, looking a little bit overdressed just for one night wouldn't be a big deal.

With her hair gently curled and resting on her shoulders, Ophelia made sure to get to the door when someone knocked before Daisy could get there. When she saw Leopold in the hallway, she felt herself smile before she even fully realized it was happening. "There he is. I was beginning to wonder if you were going to show up."

"Oh, and here I thought I was running early..." His smile was somewhat sheepish while he looked at her, shaking his head. "Sorry..."

"No, no, I just meant..." She smiled that much wider, grabbing her coat from the hook next to the door. "I hadn't heard much from you since you left, Wednesday, so I didn't know if you-"

"Hey, you match!" Daisy wandered over from the kitchen, still in her pajamas while she grinned at them. After a moment, Ophelia was able to tell what she was talking about - where the usual red tie that he wore to the office sat, there was a green one, instead. It was almost exactly the same shade as her dress. "See, I told you you'd be festive together."

Leopold coughed, and when she looked up at him again, his cheeks were pink.

-

They arrived at the house when the sky was already dark, the lights making the entire lawn bright with red and green and white. Leopold moved quickly so he could open the door for her, offering her a hand to help her to her feet with a smile.

"I am  _ fine,  _ Leopold. I can get out of a car on my own."

"Ophelia, you're wearing  _ heels,  _ for no reason. I just want you to be careful."

As if on cue, the heel of her shoe got caught in the groove of the driveway, and she reached for his hand just a moment too late. Instead, she ended up in his arms before she could hit the cement, her weight braced against his chest. His arm around her waist held her there, keeping her steady and safe while she regained her footing, stronger than she imagined him being for working in an office. And, if she took a few moments to savor the warmth that came from being so close to his chest, then that was her own business.

He detangled himself from her slowly, but didn't put too much space between them. In the cold, she could watch their breath mingle in the air. And the only thing that pulled them away from the moment was a small voice from the open door to the house.

_ "'Lia!" _

Leopold stepped away from her with a small smile, letting his daughter cut between them in her own Christmas dress. "Hey, what are you doing out here? The party is out  _ back,  _ with your mum and Will."

"I got ta play with Willy  _ all  _ day. I wanna play with 'Lia!"

He smiled and crouched down, gently taking her into his arms so that he could lift her off the ground. "Okay, well we can play in the backyard. Let's go." In one smooth motion, he shifted his daughter's weight into one arm and moved to take Ophelia's hand in his free one. The look in his eyes was gentle and teasing, emphasized by the lights shining around them. "We don't want you falling again."

Rolling her eyes, Ophelia shook her head but didn't pull away, letting him lead her toward the house. "Well, I wouldn't have tripped in the first place if you hadn't insisted on being such a  _ gentleman."  _ There was a teasing lilt to her own voice while she bumped his hip with her own, content to stay by his side. For at least one night, she could ignore the pressure that came with her promotion and all the worry she had for him, and just savor  _ the holiday.  _ It could potentially be the last chance she had to have a fun, carefree night for a long while. "Would you still be able to catch me with only one arm free?"

She heard his scoff when he let go of her hand, letting her step inside ahead of them. "I probably could, yeah. The back door is straight past the stairs, and it'll take you right to the patio. The space heaters should be set up so that none of us freeze."

Alya grinned, wiggling in her father's arms. "Is 'Lia gonna stay for the  _ whole  _ party? Can I show her my present from Willy?"

Leopold kissed her hair before setting her down on her feet with a small shake of his head. "Go get it and you can show her outside, okay? She still has to meet your mum. And then we can all have some treats."

She let out a happy squeal before running up the stairs, and Ophelia watched Leopold's smile for a moment before reaching for his hand again. "We can wait for her. I wanted to talk to you, anyway. You packed up and just  _ left,  _ Wednesday morning... did something happen? Alistair isn't exactly approachable, so I couldn't ask him."

"Yeah, there was, uhm... I didn't get the promotion, obviously. I'm sure the entire office is having a field day, with that." He shook his head, looking down at the floor and their feet there, side by side. "The head of engineering saw our plans for the prototype...? And he requested to have me transfered downstairs. So, I can work fewer hours, and it's going to be all solo work, and I don't have to report to Alistair anymore. It's... even  _ better _ than any promotion he could have given me."

"Hey, look at you!" Ophelia smiled at that, shaking her head while she took a small step toward him. "That's  _ great!  _ And, if you're working fewer hours, you can have plenty of weekends with Alya. I'm sure she'll love that."

Leopold lifted his gaze to look over at her again, letting out a slow breath while he shook his head. His smile seemed to grow, which seemed completely unbelievable, considering how rarely the expression crossed his face at all when they'd first started working together only a week before. "We're  _ rearranging _ the custody agreement, actually. We're switching off every other week, now. I already cleared the alternate schedule with my new department head. But that's not anything interesting - who's taking over for  _ you guys?  _ Who gets my old office?"

It was her turn to grin, closing even more of the space between them before she all but whispered.  _ "Me.  _ He called me in after lunch, and all of my things are already moved in. It's not  _ your _ office anymore."

_ "Congratulations."  _ He let his smile soften, the mere inches between them continuing to close. "You've earned it, really. You're going to be great."

For just a moment, his gaze flickered away from hers, and he started to lean in-

"Look, 'Lia! Willy got me a monkey coat!"

-

"Leo, are you  _ sure _ you don't need help?"

"I know what I'm doing, William, but thank you." The Scotsman shook his head, tugging his tie loose enough that he could move a bit easier. He wasn't the one who paid for the special fireworks show, but he was the one who had to set it up. If he was going to ask  _ anyone _ for help, it was going to be the person who he  _ knew  _ was capable of working well with him. At least, he would, if his own daughter hadn't claimed Ophelia as her new favorite person and settled into her lap as soon as she sat down. Maybe that was because she'd gone to get a special Christmas gift from the car, and now Alya had an adorable knit hat that matched her new favorite jacket.

And maybe his life would be just a little bit easier if his ex-wife wasn't chatting so easily with the woman he maybe liked. But, he'd been given the gift of not having to deal with Alistair on a daily basis, so maybe that was just the exchange he had to make in order to keep that little nugget of freedom.

Despite his protests, there was a presence close to his side while Will crouched down next to him, fixing some of the chords for the timed set up. "Yeah, you know what you're doing, but it can probably get done  _ faster _ if you let someone help you."

Leopold blinked and shifted to sit down in the grass, shaking his head slowly. "Yeah... yeah, right, sorry. I'm, uh... you'd think between this and everything Ophelia did last weekend, I'd have figured that out by now." The little display lit up, signalling that it could be ready to go at the press of a button.

With a smile, Will gently pat his shoulder and stayed low to the ground. "So... Ophelia, huh?"

"Ugh, not you, too."

"What? I'm the last person who's going to judge you for moving on. And," he turned just enough to look over at the women on the porch, the sound that reached them undeniably  _ happy.  _ "Alya really likes her. I haven't gotten a  _ glance _ since you went to pick her up. I'm old news, now."

Leopold shook his head with a smile, pushing himself to his feet. "Just wait until the wedding and she gets to wear a flower girl dress. Then she won't even think about us, and you'll be the favorites again. That's fine, that just means I get to win her back over when her birthday comes around."

-

Holding up his phone, Leopold positioned a chair in the middle of the grass before standing up on it. It tipped, slightly, and he adjusted his weight to make sure that wouldn't happen again before speaking. His voice was probably a little louder than it needed to be, but it was  _ Christmas,  _ and it wasn't like their neighbors could hear them, anyway. They'd likely see the fireworks, but there was enough space between houses, where they were, that his shouting shouldn't be a problem.

"Jemma Simmons. Because my da is stuck in Scotland, and you're somehow still the favorite child even though the divorce has been final for almost two years, he spent a little bit of money on a fancy Christmas gift. That I then had to completely set up, with Will's help.  _ Enjoy." _

He climbed down off the chair and hit the button on his lit up phone screen that would start the fireworks show. Making his way back to the porch, he sat down next to Ophelia and stretched out his legs with a smile before lifting his chin to watch. The bright flashes and booms were punctuated by happy giggles and  _ oohs _ and  _ aahs,  _ and everything was...  _ perfect. _

Letting out a slow breath, he looked over when a head came to rest on his shoulder, Ophelia's hair brushing his chin. "You know, when you asked if I wanted to go to a Christmas party, I thought it would be a bigger deal than just a little family gathering. It's nice, but I really did get all dressed up for nothing."

Scoffing at the words, Leopold shook his head and shifted to put his arm around her shoulders. The movement was slow and careful, but he relaxed more when she actually leaned into his side. "Not for  _ nothing.  _ You look really nice..."

"Really nice? Is that all you've got?"

"You look  _ amazing,  _ but you're only here to make my daughter happy, so I didn't want to make a fool of myself..."

There was a moment between blasts where the fireworks were quiet and dark, and by the time the next one exploded in mid air, she had moved. Ophelia pulled back enough to take his face in both hands, pulling his lips down to hers for a gentle but eager kiss. And maybe the fireworks weren't  _ only  _ in the air.


End file.
